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What good do mere words do during seemingly giant-sized tribulations?  I am sure David thought such when he faced Goliath with his sling. “How are these five pebbles going to stop such a giant beast?”

This morning COVID is again claiming victims and filling hospitals across the nation. Medical teams are again working exhaustingly long hours trying to save lives through their sheer skill and determination while the rest of us fight over masks and vaccines. 

Fires are raging, heatwaves scorch the earth, violence roams through our cities, while earthquakes, hurricanes, and terrorists continue to destroy globally.  And that is just today’s news. What about tomorrow? How much more disaster can we handle? 

The beast has risen. That old Goliath is back, and we need to obtain heavy-duty slingshots and gather some very smooth stones from the river. However, how in the world do we tame this enormous giant with such rudimentary weaponry?  How did David, who was such a small boy, stop Goliath? 

The story of David and Goliath in the Bible is a lesson of courage and faith in overcoming what seems, at first, to be an impossible task. David slew the giant because of trusting God to aid him. Even though he was small, David’s gigantic faith gave him the accuracy and power needed to defeat the enemy.

If we become determined to find the stones needed, we can slay the beast. Love, courage, faith, dignity, and compassion are the smooth weapons we must use to topple the giant. We cannot do it alone, and we cannot do this monumental task divided. 

We, as a nation, can no longer blame politics for all our misfortunes.  We cannot rebuke anyone other than ourselves for our loss of dignity.  When I watch or hear or read about folks fighting over the virus because of a political stance, I am befuddled and wonder if they have lost every grain of love, compassion, common sense, and character they ever possessed.

When we see violence and murders rise, I wonder how or why those who promote such evil lost love for life and one another. When I witness the devastation of Mother Nature across the earth, I often think, what if God has walked away, given up, because we abandoned him as proven by our actions. 

For those who have faith in a Mighty God, it is now the time to use it. Let’s pick up our individual stone and remember in all things, in all our words and actions, ask ourselves, “Is this helpful, is this truth, is this God’s way?” If so, then cast your weapon toward the giant. Remember, it is more important to adhere to God’s laws than our personal ideologies.

The Godly must not sit down in battle. They must put on the armor of God, wear the belt of truth and stand firm. 

How can we love when we spread and encourage distrust and hatred?  Love must rise above the evil, or we will not slay the beast. We will not. If we hoard anger, resentment, and mistrust of all things, we will die by the hand of darkness. How many times and ways has God said those words in the Bible? If one cannot let hatred go for the good of all mankind, then our weapons are useless, and the giant is victorious.

Dignity, honor, and courage are the backbone of a soldier. I recently have been the invited guest speaker for several groups of Vietnam Veterans. If you want to view honor and be humbled, go see them. The beauty of their courage will take your breath away. It is the bravery of the soldier that gives our America dignity.  These honorable men and women who served our ENTIRE country deserve for us to show the same respect for each other as they did for their fellow warriors amid a brutal, nasty war. 

These veterans understand the pebble of courage like no others, and they can teach us all how to throw the stone not only of bravery but of dignity.   We can do nothing without the power of God. We are nothing without him. Our politics, presumed intelligence, self-righteousness, goodness, honor, friends, families, personal rights, and nation are nothing and absolutely meaningless if God walks away.  The beast wins it all.

David knew he needed the power of God, and that is how the stone of faith killed the giant. And that is how we will as well if we band together as an army of honorable soldiers casting our stones toward Goliath.  He cannot continue to stand against such weaponry. 

Do we want to cast stones toward the beast and win or continue to cast our stones toward each other and lose it all?